Method of mercerizing yarns



Patented dept. 22, 1925., I

LAWRENCE A. STEAD, 0F CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD or MEncEmzINa YAnNs.

Application led February 5, 1925. Serial No. 6,967.

To all 'whom t may 0071 cern.'

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE A. STEAD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chester, in the county of Delaware and. State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Mercerizing Yarns, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mercerizing methods. The usual method is to group strands of yarn into continuous rolls, of rope form, commonly knownas warp-chains, bind each group, pass the groups through the mercerizing vats, dry and bale the groups, unbind and bale the groups, then -separate the strands of each group. The process is not unitary. The grouping, binding, mercerizing and drying mechanism are associated, but the unbinding, separating .and baling units are distinct from the mercerizing group and from each other and the nature of the mechanism usually employed precludes close association. In practice the mercerizing, unbinding, separating and baling are distinct departments and suciently remote from each other to require transportation between the mercerizing and unbinding departments and the unbinding and separating departments, and any handlin ofthe yarns under treatment is detrimenta The baling requires considerable mechanism and each baling machine occupies considerable space. A groupl includes 12 strands and the groups are boun'd in rope form. A binding unit and an unbinding machine isrequired for each group. If the grouping mechanism handles 12 groups, 12 binding units and l2 unbinding machines are required. 4If the grouping machine is to handle 24 groups, 24 binding units and 24 unbinding machines are required etc. The binding units and the unbinding machines also occupy much space. In the rope-formed groups the strands are too closely associated as they go 4through the mercerizing solutions, the diiiculty in separating them is such as to require constant attention of an operator, and`lmany= of the yarns are strained and weakened by the separating step. A

l The object of my invention is to provide a method of mercerizing in which the several steps succeed each other 'consecutively and the yarns require no handling from the time they enter the grouping unit untilthey leave the separating unit as finished. goods; a method whereby the strands will be grouped in sheet form and pass through the mercerizing vat in that form; a method which. requires a single binding unit and a single unbinding unit for alll the groups instead of a separate unit or machine for each group; a method in which the separation of the strands may be eEected without injury to the yarns; a'metho'd which dispenses with baling except for the iinished yarn, and a method which will produce a better and more uniform quality of goods than the method heretofore employed. y v

-The mechanical steps of my method may be effected by various mechanisms but I have illustrated diagrammatically one form 'of mechanism adapted for that purpose in the accompanying drawing in which- Figure lis a side elevation of the mechanism, and

Figure 2 a top plan view of the same.

The mechanism shown is adapted for handing 12 groups of strands but the number-may be varied indefinitely.

The plan of operation involves grouping the strands so that they will enterl the mer- 'cerizing process along side each other in single ply instead of grouping them in rope form, binding the strands in a single flat sheet, passing this sheet through the'mercerizing vat, removing the binder thread, and separating the strands. v

In the drawing, 1 indicates a series of reels, 12 in number, each wound with strands of yarns, 2 a suitable frame supporting a series of horizontal guide bars 4, each having a series of vertical guide pins 5 which keep groups of strands fseparatefrom each other, 6 rollers over which the groups pass from the horizontal guide bars to binding machine 7 'which brings the groups together in sheet form and binds the sheet with a single `binder thread, 8 a roll over which the sheet is led from 'the binding machine, 9 rolls through which the sheet passes to the mercerizing unit 10, 11 rolls through which the sheet passes as it lcomes fromrthe mercerizing unit, and from which it passes through a tension device'12 to an unbinding machine 13,-which removes the binder thread, and from which they pass to separating mechanism. The group separating mechanism conof vertical guide t e rate groups pass tostran'd separating mechsists of a air of rollers 14 and a pair of horizontal ars 15, each bar having a series ins 16 between which the groups ass. ternate groups are led over the un er roller and the upper roller and passed between the guide pins 16 thereby s acing the vgroups from each other. From oup separating mechanism the sepaanism which consists of a air of rollers 17 and a pair of horizontal ars 18 having a series of vertical guide pins 19 between `which the strands pass onto the rollers.

From these rollers the separated strands lpass to a series of d ing drums 23 from w ich they pass as the ished product.

As shown, a group consists of 12 strands and there are-12 groups oi' 144 strands, hence the lrequirement of 3 guide pins in the strand separating mechanism.

The strands pass from the primary grouping-mechanism in 3 superposed groups of 4 strands eachof which, are joined as they distm pass into the' bindin mechanism to form one'groupof 12 ara el strands.

`B grouping t efstrands in sheet form as ished from rope or chain form, there-1s less coherence between the strands and the yarns, the `strands are separated with less diiiiculty and less detriment to the f. yarns, the groups .are more uniformly mercerized and the out ut is more uniform and 'cf better quality. compared with the old method, 2 baling y .use of my method, as

areelimnated, the process is' unitary I l, from lstartiu finish-'instead of consisting of a ,number o f-,disasspciated proceedings, and

-Qniaehmeryand consequently in cost {.ofproduction. 'f v Having thus-,described my invention,v

in sheet form, binding the strands in a single sheet, passing the sheet through the mercerizing unit, and removing the binder.

4. A method of mercerizing yarn consisting in grouping strands of yarn side by' side in sheet form, binding a series of groups 1n` .to a single sheet, passing the sheet` through the mercerizing unit, removing the binder, and separatin the groups;

5. A meth of mercerizing yarn consisting in grouping strands of yarn side by side in sheet form, binding a series of groupsinto a single sheet,.passing the sheet through the mercerizing unit, removing the binder, separating the groups, and separatingthe strands.

- 6. A method of mercerizing yarn consisting in grouping strands of lyarn side by side in sheet form, i to asingleshee't, passing the. sheet through separating the groups,l se arating the strands, and drylng the stran s.

` In testimony whereof I have signed myv name to this specification.

. L y l LAwREisIoEA. sTEADQ.

nding a series of groups in- .1; the mercerizing unit, .removing the binder, i 

